Alignment
'Alignment' A creature's general relationship to life and truth are represented by its alignment. The word alignment here means "orientation towards life" or "moral perception of the world" - it is not seeking to describe the nature of the being itself, but rather the nature of how the being thinks the world around them behaves. For example, a lawful neutral being perceives the world to be a harmless place which tends to be friendly and helpful if one conducts themselves properly, and a chaotic evil being perceives it to be an unreasoning place where the only reward for right conduct is endless suffering. Alignment therefore also informs the actions that a being will likely commit in response to their perceived sense of justice or injustice. The lawful neutral being will behave honourably and with good will towards other beings, whereas the pure chaotic being will seek to escape the world's "prison" and inflict horrific acts of retribution. It should be noted very definitely that alignment is not a tool for creating a character's identity. Characters think in terms of personal motivations, temperamental difference and desired objectives, and each being is highly unique in their philosophies and the ways that they articulate them to others. Many people say one thing and do another. Many people claim to be enlightened but inflict untold brutality upon those around them, while others claim to be "no-one special" but consistently act for the good of all. Claiming to be "good" does not make one so, nor does a majority opinion that one is "evil" make one evil. Everyone has their justifications, but the truth of alignment is the rewards reaped in terms of sanity, happiness, connection and longevity. A player should create a character with history, motives and relationships within the world, and then realistically observe where in the alignment grid they fall to assign this trait. Alignment is a classification, not a straight-jacket. Generate the persona you want to play, not what a mechanic seems to "mandate". The nine alignments are lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, true neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil and chaotic evil. 'The Grid' The alignment system plots the nine alignments upon a grid, three boxes by three. In order to understand the nature and essence of each alignment, two axes are used to designate two psychological properties to each individual box. These are the horizontal ethical axis and the vertical moral axis, of which the moral axis is the dominant: The Vertical "Moral" Axis While the alignment grid is the best way to easily understand the hallmark traits that define each alignment, it must always be remembered that the alignment scale is linear, running from left to right, top row to bottom row, like so: Lawful good - neutral good - chaotic good, followed by lawful neutral - true neutral - chaotic neutral, finally followed by lawful evil - neutral evil - chaotic evil. The three rows of the moral axis are qualified, in descending order, as the Good, Neutral and Evil alignments. Good within the alignment scale means selfless. It implies altruism, respect for the lives of all things and a great effort to make personal sacrifices and face real danger for the world's benefit. They honestly follow conscience regardless of outside pressure. Neutral '''within the alignment scale means '''principled. It implies a sense of morality, a standard of duty towards life and limitations placed upon the actions a person will commit upon others. They behave as most acceptable people in society are expected to act. Evil '''within the alignment scale means '''destructive. It implies seriously hurting, oppressing and killing others in pursuit of selfish goals, without showing compassion, regret or qualm. They have no regard for any laws, divine or man-made, only themselves. The Horizontal "Ethical" Axis We have established that the grid consists of three rows of three alignments running from the selfless alignments at the top down to the destructive alignments at the bottom, and that a linear continuum runs from pure lawful at the top left down to pure chaotic at the bottom right. When we consider the ethical axis, it must foremost be well understood that this axis is applied within each row. This is because, for example, the term "cardinal" when applied to "selfless" in the top row has a different implication than the same term applied to "principled" in the middle row or "destructive" in the bottom row. The three columns of the ethical axis are qualified, left to right, as the Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic alignments. Lawful within the alignment scale means cardinal. It implies an unyielding stance within the world alongside an accompanying commitment to embody values at all times and in all places, with very few or likely no exceptions. Neutral within the alignment scale means fixed. It implies an adherence to chosen behaviours and a dedicated focus to achieve certain ends through which some reward is to be gleaned, or fulfilment is to be attained. Chaotic '''within the alignment scale means '''mutable. It implies flexibility, restlessness and an appetite for change which compels one to choose from many different pathways in life, seeking new possibilities for action. As has probably been noticed by the reader, the ethical scale is quite different in nature from the moral axis, with each alignment seeking through its mode of life, consciously or unconsciously, to "gain promotion" into the box immediately above it within the linearly arranged scale. This idea of each alignment wishing to be a different alignment (and, by extension of logic, the ultimate ideal for all alignments being the state above and beyond even that of pure lawful) might appear to be confusing at first, but a closer examination of the system and each of the alignments should reveal the truth and beauty behind this concept. The Nine Alignments Nine distinct alignments define all the possible combinations of the cardinal-fixed-mutable axis with the selfless-principled-destructive axis. Each alignment description below depicts a typical character of that alignment. Remember that individuals vary from this norm, and that a given character may act more or less in accord with his or her alignment from day to day. Use these descriptions as guidelines, not as scripts. The principled alignments are the easiest to relate to and are the default alignments for most player characters. The three selfless alignments are those of truly heroic and enlightened beings who are completely devoted to the good, and the three destructive alignments are typical of villains and evil spirits. Lawful Good - "Illuminated" A lawful good character acts as a fully enlightened person is directed by his divine conscience. He combines a commitment to neutralise evil with the discipline to persevere endlessly. He embodies the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and allows no self-injustice. A lawful good character hates to see any creature hurt itself, no matter how base or wicked it may be. Lawful good is the alignment of saints, immortals and those bringing world salvation. The spirits associated with lawful good are the angels of the Kiln. Neutral Good - "Heroic" A neutral good character does the best that a virtuous person can. She is devoted to helping others through divine works on the world-stage. She works with the kings, magistrates and other leaders of the mortal world but does not feel beholden to them, holding unflinchingly true to the universal benevolence revealed to her by her guardian spirit. Neutral good is the alignment of altruists, champions and other questing agents of good. The spirits associated with neutral good are the celestials of Heaven. Chaotic Good - "Enlightened" A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him but with little regard for what the unenlightened masses expect of him. He makes his own way but is always kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little need for laws. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass which, although good, may not agree with that of others. Chaotic good is the alignment of benefactors, rescuers and other evolved souls on the path. The spirits associated with chaotic good are the devas of the Pinnacle. Lawful Neutral - "Dedicated" A lawful neutral character acts as the spirit of law, tradition or a personal code directs her. Order and organisation are paramount to her. She may believe in personal order and live by a set moral standard, supporting a strong, organised vision for society. Such a character seeks to establish right order within their own lives and the lives of others, and holds strong moral convictions. Lawful neutral is the alignment of ascetics, knights and others wholly devoted to self-betterment. The spirits associated with lawful neutral are the tutelars of Elysium. True Neutral - "Uncommitted" A true neutral character does whatever seems to be a good idea. He doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good versus evil or law versus chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias as rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as preferable to evil – after all, he would rather have good rulers and neighbours than evil ones. Still, he’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. True neutral is the alignment of the common man, and is the most frequently occurring. The spirits associated with true neutral are the ruachs of the Dreamlands. Chaotic Neutral - "Wayward" A chaotic neutral character follows her whims, being an individualist first and last. She values her own freedom but does not strive to protect that of others. She avoids authority outside of her own preferences, resents restrictions placed upon her comforts and disregards moral traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organisations as part of a campaign of chaos, instead seeking personal convenience. Chaotic neutral is the alignment of neurotics, antiheroes and other errant types. The spirits associated with chaotic neutral are the mephits of Phantasm. Lawful Evil - "Fallen" A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He values cooperation, loyalty and order but not freedom, dignity or life. He plays by his own rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule but is willing to serve if it benefits him. He cruelly condemns others according to their deviation from his own values. Some lawful evil characters commit themselves to oppression with a zeal, taking satisfaction in spreading their ideals. They may also see immorality as part of a duty to an evil dogma or master. Lawful evil is the alignment of zealots, sociopaths and other organised criminals. The spirits associated with lawful evil are the devils of the Pit. Neutral Evil - "Villainous" A neutral evil character commits whatever sadism she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport or convenience. She has no love for order and holds no illusions that following laws, traditions or codes would make her any better or more noble. On the other hand, she does not have the entropic nature or hunger for death that a chaotic evil character does. Some neutral evil characters hold wickedness up as a warped ideal, committing it for its own sake. Most often, such characters are either condemned outlaws or devoted to twisted deities within secret societies. Neutral evil is the alignment of sadists, psychopaths and other deranged criminals. The spirits associated with neutral evil are the pretas of Hell. Chaotic Evil - "Annihilated" A chaotic evil character does whatever his madness, hatred and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent and unpredictable. If he is simply out to destroy whatever he can, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of universal chaos and evil, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are often haphazard and any groups he joins or follows are poorly organised. Typically, chaotic evil characters can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can provide his minions with innocents to defile and destroy and stave off violent usurpation. Chaotic evil is the alignment of serial killers, megalomaniacs and those seeking world destruction. The spirits associated with chaotic evil are the demons of the Void. Changing Alignment - Character Spirit Certain instances will call for a character to gain or lose Spirit, such as undertaking altruistic or malevolent actions, witnessing angels or demons, or other profoundly uplifting or traumatic experiences. Spirit is a number that is used to track a character's alignment. Once certain alignment-dependent Spirit totals are reached or the character's Spirit value becomes zero, the character experiences either an intense ascension experience (if their alignment improves) or an existential crisis (if their alignment degrades), which will result in a alignment change either one step up (e.g. true neutral to lawful neutral, or neutral evil to lawful evil) or one step down (e.g. true neutral to chaotic neutral, or neutral good to chaotic good). Once the alignment shift has been dramatically role-played out and the character has either seen the error of their previous ways or fallen further from the light, their Spirit number resets to a new value dependent upon the character's new alignment. The more good or evil one becomes, the harder it is to turn back to the opposite way of living. Spirit Thresholds for Alignment Change (Spirit Reset) LN +5 (2) CG +15 (7) NG +30 (15) LG +50 (25) CN -5 (-2) LE -15 (-7) NE -30 (-15) CE -50 (-25) A positive Spirit number indicates that a character's soul is evolving and that their psyche will begin to integrate to a higher consciousness. A negative Spirit number indicates that a character's soul has become corrupt and that their psyche will begin to disintegrate into madness.